Through Thick and Thin
Whether you're a student of etymology or you don't even know what that word means, tell us how you think this animal expression originated. We'll post the most accurate as well as the most inventive. Email your answer to when_pigs@discovery.com.
When it was common to travel from town to town by foot, a man and his friend had to walk to the next town to buy a horse. It had been raining for forty days and forty nights. As you can imagine it was really muddy outside. As the man was plodding along he turned to his companion and thanked him for coming along. Wherein his friend replied "through thick and thin."
—nervo99
Derived from dog mushers in Alaska. It refers to the snow and ice that dog teams had to endure together to reach their goal.
—dfresh
This expression comes from the Baltic region where women have the tendency to gain and loose weight, constantly throughout marriage. Yet it is a local law that a man cannot divorce his wife because of her weight. Thus causing him to stick to her through thick and thin! That's our story, and we're sticking to it!
—abeh
This came from two best friends — one an elephant and the other a snake. They helped each other in many dangerouse situations and they always made it "through thick and thin."
—cjfischer7
Comes from a military expression — moving through thick and thin landscape.
—kellyemc
This phrase actually describes the slithering movements of the Australian pit viper and its bite, which will pierce through clothes and skin just as easily — through thick or thin.
—everlastsp
What a hamster or any other small rodent can get through to escape from their $150 habitat!
—wizardry
I think that this phrase is about a puffer fish because puffer fish get think and thin.
—cittycattcally
Maybe this originated during the time of our ancient nomadic ancestors. A couple would have to travel through mud, swamps, rivers. etc. in search of shelter and food.
—cymru88
I Think it came from the texture of the mud that horses had to ride through.
—nutty1
Describes how to suture a rhino.
—dxndmom
When people used to have to run through a gaunlet of skinny and fat people.
—TearDaze
OK, this is probably about a rainforest where there are animals everywhere. And so, you have to walk through all these animals, and sometimes there are a lot of animals, and sometimes there are very few animals, but you have to keep walking.
—spazzydreamer1
This may come from reptiles. They have "thick" skin then they shed it and it is "thin" skin. They go through life this way through thick and thin!
—sarah_head79
This phrase was from the wedding vows of Jack Sprat and his wife.
—mtp51053
From the biblical account of Pharoah's dream explained by Joseph. He saw seven fat animals (the thick) followed by seven emaciated animals (the thin). These represented seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of famine. Thus it is to stick it out through good times and bad.
—craig_roxanne
My sense is that it refers to an animal such as a horse or dog that will go through thick and thin brush to chase game.
Fishing expression. When fish are thick there are many of them in the water and easy to catch or net. Thus a good harvest. When thin there are fewer fish thus a poorer or more difficult harvest.
—scribenbirder
I think this phrase originated during World War I. The doughboys over in Europe found their way through areas like thick forests, in Germany for example, and not having enough food the soldiers became thin. But they were successful in their missions so they made it "through thick and thin".
—lainie1326
Old indian expression: They wore thick buffalo skins in winter and much thinner dear skins in summer.
In the winter time animals fur gets thick and then in the spring it gets thin.
—Funnycarp01
This is a really tough one, even to make up an answer for! I'm going to say it refers to the ability of a herd of deer to stay together through thick or thin terrain. Either that or a crocodile's ability to bite through thick or thin people!
—asmiles99
I believe it may refer to the fur or coats of animals — thick hair in winter and thin in summer, but that's just a guess.
Back when times where hard, the gravy that was served with the biscuits was thick or thin, depending on how much lard and flour was used. Hard times called for a lot of water and not much else. Better times allowed you to use more ingredients — therefore, thick!
—jodylisa
Describes a loyal animal, such as a dog, that stays around even when there is no food (thin).
—shadowwaiting
Monkeys will groom their friends' thick as well as thin hair.
—yudhi
